>2door Coupe, twin turbo Six, Water injected, 493 HP ?
#11
05-15-2016 | 06:45 AM
Hi `Chad, I always enjoy reading your thoughts, opinions & what falls out of your mind 
Yes, I'm thankful that the Corvette & other High performance vehicles have electronic devises to help so many novice untrained drivers behind the wheels of all the high performance vehicles that are available to the masses that can afford them I wish that there was a requirement that every owner of a high performance car have a special license that requires training. I've seen to many that have high performance cars that can't handle them. Youtube is filled with Vid's of many of them. To me they are a danger on the highways of life. 
I do hope you get the chance to drive a C7. I have, but it was in the city of Miami in bumper to bumper traffic
, for now I just have to continue to read the reviews.
I know I really enjoy my friends MX5's or Miata's because they handle, great manual trans & just a blast to drive 4-what they are...
I haven't driven the new ones, but I'd like to. There's lots of Clubs in the State and they have some great events. Low $ fun 4-Sure!
* Aren't we fortunate to have so many choices in the automotive World if we have the funds to have fun !
"Giving `up to get what we really want to have & EnJoy" 4-$ure!
"Dreams are where we want to `go & work is how we get there" >I'm working on my dream(s)<
The vette is definitely less forgiving to drive. With all of the electronic nannies turned off, it is scary to drive hard for a novice. In the upper gears, the oversteer is manageable, but if you're getting into really slow corners where youre coming through in 1st o 2nd, it can really snap out on you quickly.
Certainly you can turn all of the nannies on and it will save you from doing anything stupid, but it does kinda feel like cheating. I still don't think the chassis is as communicative as the Cayman.
Maybe I should drive a c7 myself before passing more judgement ...
Certainly you can turn all of the nannies on and it will save you from doing anything stupid, but it does kinda feel like cheating. I still don't think the chassis is as communicative as the Cayman.
Maybe I should drive a c7 myself before passing more judgement ...
Yes, I'm thankful that the Corvette & other High performance vehicles have electronic devises to help so many novice untrained drivers behind the wheels of all the high performance vehicles that are available to the masses that can afford them
I wish that there was a requirement that every owner of a high performance car have a special license that requires training. I've seen to many that have high performance cars that can't handle them. Youtube is filled with Vid's of many of them. To me they are a danger on the highways of life. I do hope you get the chance to drive a C7. I have, but it was in the city of Miami in bumper to bumper traffic
, for now I just have to continue to read the reviews. I know I really enjoy my friends MX5's or Miata's because they handle, great manual trans & just a blast to drive 4-what they are...
I haven't driven the new ones, but I'd like to. There's lots of Clubs in the State and they have some great events. Low $ fun 4-Sure!
* Aren't we fortunate to have so many choices in the automotive World if we have the funds to have fun !
"Giving `up to get what we really want to have & EnJoy" 4-$ure!
"Dreams are where we want to `go & work is how we get there" >I'm working on my dream(s)<
Last edited by BeachBumMike; 05-15-2016 at 07:47 AM.
#12
05-15-2016 | 06:51 AM
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda MX-5 Miata
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata shown
- MSRP
$25,750
Listed MSRP is for a 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2dr Conv Man Sport base trim with no options. Includes destination fee. Does not include sales tax.
For pure driving bliss, the Miata is tops—and you’ll need only one turn behind the wheel to see why we named it a 10Best winner for 2016. This legendary two-seater has a 155-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a six-speed manual; a six-speed automatic is optional. Its use of aluminum keeps weight down, so the Miata remains eminently flingable in the twists and turns that you’ll surely seek out whenever you hit the road. Standard features include Bluetooth, cruise control, and air conditioning.Instrumented Test – 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
View All Features and Specs
View All Features and Specs
27/34 mpg
EPA
5.8 sec
0-60
155 hp
HP
129 mph
Top Speed
Tested: 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Test Location: Chelsea Proving Grounds (Chelsea, MI) - November 2015
Rank in Sports Coupes and Convertibles
Instrumented Test
2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata
The Meta Miata.
- JUN 2015
- BY JEFF SABATINI
- PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL SIMARI
[COLOR=#909090 !important]
Yet the downsizing has not harmed cabin roominess, which actually seems to have improved from the last MX-5, even if Mazda’s interior measurements don’t show it. While anyone pushing six-and-a-half feet is still unlikely to fit in the car, a new seat design that’s closer to the floor and reclines a bit more opens the Miata’s fitment to larger people—and leaves the rest of us with more space to stretch out. The company’s focus on the driver that we lauded in the Mazda 3 has now been implemented in the Miata. So the heavy but smooth shifter is ideally positioned, while the narrowly spaced pedals are perfectly aligned underneath the thin, small-diameter wheel. Performance notwithstanding, the MX-5 is an extremely rewarding car to drive just in the manipulation of its controls.
Not only does the fourth-generation MX-5 have the most comfortable cockpit of any Miata, it’s also the highest performing. The 2.0-liter four is derived from the base engine in the Mazda 3, but adapting it for the Miata has changed its character. A lighter flywheel and tuning for premium gasoline (recommended but not required) make it quicker to rev with improved throttle response, which means the new MX-5 feels a lot like the original 1.6-liter Miata—though a whole lot quicker. We managed to crack the six-second barrier at the test track, recording a 5.9-second sprint to 60 mph and 16.2 seconds to 100. Even the turbocharged second-generation Mazdaspeed Miata can’t hang with this thing: It took 18.3 seconds to hit the century mark when we tested it in 2004. There is a small penalty for the MX-5’s newfound speed, as the boisterous intake noise drowns out the exhaust and makes the new car louder under acceleration than any Miata that has come before.
On the road, significant changes can be felt in the MX-5’s steering. Mazda switched from hydraulic to electric assist, which has toned down some of the car’s twitchiness. The wheel has a strong on-center feel, and it takes some effort to initiate turn-in, although once you start to dial in that effort, force builds proportionately. This change makes the car feel more planted than before, although there’s plenty of lean in turns, just as in previous Miatas. We recorded 0.90 g in our skidpad test and a 158-foot stop from 70 mph; both results are consistent with past models.
So is the price, sort of. A base 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata Sport is $25,735. That’s a bump of $945 from last year for a car with quite a bit more equipment, including Bluetooth, LED headlights, cloth material for its top rather than vinyl, and an extra cog in its manual transmission. More impressively, it’s also only $267 more than the inflation-adjusted price of a 1990 Miata. But the pricing of the higher trim levels escalates more steeply now, with Club models starting at $29,420 and the Grand Touring at $30,885.
The Club is the only way to get the sport suspension with Bilstein shocks and a limited-slip differential, or the optional Brembo package ($3400) that includes forged BBS wheels. Naturally then, our test car was a loaded Club, although it was missing some aero add-ons (front and rear air dams, a trunk spoiler, and rocker-panel extensions) that would normally be included were it not a preproduction vehicle. Leather seats, automatic climate control, and sensor-based safety features are available only on the GT, and while both of the upper trims include Mazda’s Connect touch-screen infotainment system, only GT models get it with navigation. A six-speed automatic transmission is a $730 option on the Club, but choosing it means losing the sport suspension and the limited-slip diff. Even if you don’t make that mistake, it’s probably best we all start thinking of the Miata as a $30,000 car.
Which is why Mazda has dipped the 2016 model in its Kodo design language, transforming it into a car that actually looks like something substantial. We’re not sure exactly what—the face of the MX-5 seems alternately feline and fishlike—but consensus says the car looks better from farther away. Up close it seems less of-a-piece, and also less like all the Miatas past, cars that almost seemed to eschew styling. Whatever you think of it, the new MX-5 courts attention like an Easter hat. To our eyes it still looks best from behind the wheel, where it remains the most fun you can have for the least amount of money.
#13
05-15-2016 | 06:53 AM
Specifications
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE:front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible
PRICE AS TESTED:$32,950 (base price: $25,735)
ENGINE TYPE:DOHC 16-valve Atkinson-capable inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
DISPLACEMENT:122 cu in, 1998 cc
Power: 155 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 148 lb-ft @ 4600 rpm
TRANSMISSION:6-speed manual
Power: 155 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 148 lb-ft @ 4600 rpm
TRANSMISSION:6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 90.9 in
Length: 154.1 in
Width: 68.3 in Height:48.8 in
Passenger volume: 49 cu ft
Cargo volume: 5 cu ft
Curb weight: 2309 lb
Wheelbase: 90.9 in
Length: 154.1 in
Width: 68.3 in Height:48.8 in
Passenger volume: 49 cu ft
Cargo volume: 5 cu ft
Curb weight: 2309 lb
C/D TEST RESULTS:
Zero to 60 mph: 5.9 sec (faster then a 06 Monte V8 S.S. tested by MotorWeek)
Zero to 100 mph: 16.2 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 28.9 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 6.6 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 8.4 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 8.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec @ 95 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 129 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 158 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 g
Zero to 60 mph: 5.9 sec (faster then a 06 Monte V8 S.S. tested by MotorWeek)
Zero to 100 mph: 16.2 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 28.9 sec
Rolling start, 5-60 mph: 6.6 sec
Top gear, 30-50 mph: 8.4 sec
Top gear, 50-70 mph: 8.5 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 14.6 sec @ 95 mph
Top speed (drag limited): 129 mph
Braking, 70-0 mph: 158 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.90 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 27/34 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg
EPA city/highway driving: 27/34 mpg
C/D observed: 32 mpg
Last edited by BeachBumMike; 05-15-2016 at 07:42 AM.